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There was a time either side of the José Mourinho era when Chelsea threatened
to usurp Barcelona as the dominant force in Europe, but as the business end
of the Champions League approaches they are grateful simply still to be
involved. A club who once vowed to turn the world blue are happy merely to
be competing at the highest level on planet football.

As Chelsea’s charter flight soared over Spain yesterday, Roberto Di Matteo was
open about his club’s diminished status. The interim first-team coach made
the point that, on their previous European flight last month, Chelsea’s
players feared